Lee Peace

A grandmother-of-two who was diagnosed with cancer has credited a new fitness regime with helping her to cope with the condition.

Jean Marsh, aged 65, was diagnosed with bronchiectasis a few years ago - a long-term condition where the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened, increasing the risk of infection.

To help her deal with the condition, specialists referred her to Concord Sports Centre in August 2013 where she has been taking part in pulmonary function classes.

The Wincobank woman was making great progress but her world turned upside down when she was diagnosed with stage two oesophageal cancer in November last year. Despite the setback, she said she feels strong and is continuing on with her new found fitness regime.

She said: “My consultant advised that I needed to keep myself fit for treatment, as the fitter you are, the more effective the treatment is. Without the fitness classes at Concord, I may not have coped as well with my illness. Three rounds of chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiotherapy sapped the energy from me.

“I’m pleased to say that I’m on the road to recovery now. The last scan I had showed that everything seemed alright and I have an appointment with my consultant soon where I should hopefully find out if I need to have any further treatment. Now that I’m feeling better, I’ve started going to classes again and hope that I can get back into the fitness programme soon.”

She added her husband John, family and friends have given her “incredible support” during a tough time.